REUSABLE GOLF TEE

Abstract

Golf tees are used to elevate golf balls above a playing surface for the first shot of a golf hole. Conventional golf tees can affect the drive due to friction caused by the amount of surface area contacting the ball. A golf tee has a base member and at least three support members for supporting a golf ball can reduce the friction and provide a more consistent golf shot.

Claims

1. A reusable golf tee, comprising: a base member, the base member comprising a bottom surface; and three support members, each support member is connected to the base at a lower end and an apex of each three support members defining a substantially horizontal plane, the apex of each of the support members being configured to support the mounting of a golf ball.

2. The reusable golf tee of claim 1, wherein the bottom surface is substantially flat.

3. The reusable golf tee of claim 1, wherein the base member has a triangular shape.

4. The reusable golf tee of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of each of the support members comprise a conical or paraboloid shape forming the apex of each support member.

5. The reusable golf tee of claim 1, wherein each support member have substantially the same length.

6. The reusable golf tee of claim 1, comprising a stake and the base defines an through hole for receiving the stake.

7. The reusable golf tee of claim 6, wherein the stake is configured to be received within the through hole and secures the reusable golf tee to a surface of the ground.

8. The reusable golf tee of claim 7, wherein the stake comprises a head for contacting the base when received in the through hole and a pointed end for penetrating a ground.

9. The reusable golf tee of claim 1, wherein the base member comprises a polymeric material.

10. The reusable golf tee of claim 4, wherein the base of the conical shape of each of the support members is connected to the base member.

11. The reusable golf tee of claim 1, wherein the support members are arranged such that the apex of each support member are vertexes of an isosceles triangle.

12. The reusable golf tee of claim 3, wherein the base member has an isosceles triangle shape.

13. The reusable golf tee of claim 1, wherein the base member is weighted and configured to reduce travel distance of the reusable golf tee due to hitting a golf ball on the reusable golf tee.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of a golf tee comprising an isosceles triangular base defining in through hole and having three support members configured to support a golf ball;

[0017] FIG. 2 depicts a stake or nail that may be received within the through hole to further secure the golf tee, if desired;

[0018] FIG. 3 depicts a perspective view of the embodiment of the golf tee of FIG. 1;

[0019] FIG. 4 depicts a front elevation view of the embodiment of the golf tee of FIG. 1;

[0020] FIG. 5 depicts a sectional view of an embodiment of the golf tee along section A-A as shown in FIG. 4; and

[0021] FIG. 6 depicts a plan view of an embodiment of the golf tee, wherein the base has a triangular shape and the support members are configured in a triangular shape oriented with the base of the two triangle are parallel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Embodiments of the golf tee address the issues concerning golfers using conventional golf tees, with its innovative friction reduction functionality and reusability, the golfer may drive a golf ball further and straighter than using other golf tees. Embodiments of reusable golf tee are configured to rest upon a surface. As shown in FIG. 1, an embodiment of the golf tee 10 comprises a base member 1 and three support members 2A 2B 2C. The base member 1 has a substantially flat bottom surface and is configured to rest upon a playing surface. The support members 2A 2B 2C are connected to the base member 1 and are configured to support a a golf ball above the playing surface for driving with a golf club in play or practice. The embodiment of the golf tee 10 shown in FIG. 1 has the advantage over golf tees comprising cup ball holders or brush ball holders in that the amount of friction and interference with the golf swing and the golf ball leaving the tee as the golf ball is struck is reduced resulting in much more consistent drives.

[0023] The base member 1 and support members 2A 2B 2C of the reusable golf tee may be made from any suitable material, including but not limited to, plastic, rubber, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, metals, wood, polymer, flexible polymer, another similar material, or some combination thereof, for example. The suitability of the material(s) used to make the base member 1 depends upon the ability of the material(s) to resist damage upon being hit with a golf club, support the weight of the support members 2A 2B 2C and the golf ball, and the ability of the material(s) to rest securely upon a playing surface. The suitability of the material(s) used to make the support members 2A 2B 2C depends upon the ability of the material(s) to support the mounting of a golf ball above the base member 1 and the ability of the material(s) to withstand the force of the hitting of the golf ball from the reusable golf tee without breaking.

[0024] The support members 2A 2B 2C are connected or integrally formed with the base member. The golf tee 10 may be formed by any method known in the art including injection molding or other molding techniques, three dimensional printing, resin printing, CNC routing, or combinations of such methods.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the depicted embodiment has conical or paraboloid shaped support members 2A 2B 2C that have rounded apexes 2D 2E 2F. Further in the depicted embodiment, the base member 1 has an isosceles triangle shape in plan view with the base of the isosceles triangle being considered to be the rearward portion of the golf tee (in practice, the golf tee may be used in any orientation but for descriptive purposes only, the base (not equally length side of the triangle) will be considered to be the rearward portion of the base member). The three support members 2A 2B 2C are located in the rearward portion of the base member 1 and are also oriented such that their apexes 2D 2E 2F are in the shape of an isosceles triangle with the base of the support member isosceles triangle also facing the rearward portion of the base member 1. The through hole 3 is located forward of the support members 2A 2B 2C. The through hole may have any cross sectional shape including, circular, triangular, square, oval, hexagonal, etc. However, a noncircular shape is preferred to prevent the golf tee from rotating on the stake and affecting the rotation of the ball. In such embodiments, the stake 20 (shown in FIG. 2) may be a complementary shape to the shape of the through hole 3. For example, in the depicted embodiment, both the through hole 3 and the stake 20 have square cross sectional shapes. In FIG. 2, the stake 20 is shown having a shaft 4 which has the complementary shape to the through hole 3, a pointed end 5, and a head 6. The head 6 has a larger cross sectional size than the through hole 3 to contact an upper surface of the base member 1 and more securely retain the stake 20 and golf tee 10 to the playing surface.

[0026] In additional embodiments, the base member may be made from a flexible material, the support members are made from a flexible material, or both the base member and the support members are made from a flexible material. As used herein in connection with the base member, the term flexible material to a material or multiple materials in some combination which are able to bend without breaking; when used in connection with the support members, the term flexible material refers to a material or multiple materials in some combination which are able to bend without breaking when a golf ball is hit from the reusable golf tee. The suitability of the materials which make up the various components of the present is paramount, as they allow the reusable golf tee to be used more than once (unlike many prior art golf tees), making the present invention reliable for continued use.

[0027] The substantially flat base member and the support members of the present invention clearly and innovatively differentiate the reusable golf tee described herein from the golf tees of the prior art. Additionally, the base member of the present invention being substantially flat reduces the distance at which the golf tee may travel after the reusable golf tee is hit or after a golf ball is hit from the reusable golf tee, as the substantially flat form the base member creates a substantially increase in drag, when compared to the classic form golf tees of the prior art. This reduction in the distance that the golf tee travels upon hitting increases the accessibility of golfing, as it requires less movement for the user of the reusable golf tee when they retrieve the golf tee after hitting. In another embodiment of the invention, the base member comprises a weighted or heavier portion and configured to reduce travel distance of the reusable golf-tee due to hitting a golf ball on the reusable golf-tee and/or due to hitting the golf tee (otherwise referred to as, due to hitting). A base member may be weighted by using one or more dense or heavy materials to make the base member, thereby increasing the amount of force required to move the reusable golf tee through the air, and decreasing the distance which the reusable golf tee may travel when a standard amount of force (and direction of force) is applied to the reusable golf tee. Merely for example, one embodiment of the invention comprises a weighted base member which has been weighted by making the base member from a material which has a higher average density than that of the material from which at least one of the support members is made. Merely for another example, one embodiment of the invention comprises a weighted base member which has been weighted by making the base member from a material which has a higher average density than that of the material from which any of the support members are made. In embodiments of the invention which comprise a weighted base member, the weighting of the base member is accomplished through other various means known in the art.

[0028] In an embodiment, the reusable golf tee comprises a triangular shaped base member as described above. In another embodiment, the reusable golf tee comprises support members which are arranged in a triangular formation in relation to their placement to the base member at the point of connection between the support members and the base member. Another embodiment of the invention is a reusable golf tee configured to rest upon a surface comprising a base member and three support members: the base member being substantially flat and being configured to rest upon the surface; the support members consisting of three support members, the support members being connected to the base member, and the support members being configured to support the mounting of a golf ball for hitting. In additional embodiments, the reusable golf tee comprises no more than twelve support members.

[0029] In another embodiment of the invention, at least a portion of each of the support members comprise a conical or paraboloid shape. In additional embodiments of the invention, each of the support members comprise another shape, such as, but not limited to, a triangle, a rectangle, a diamond, an arrow or spear shape, a cylinder, a sphere, circular shape, a pyramid, or some combination thereof or a combination of these shapes with the conical or paraboloid shape, for example. Merely for example, in one embodiment, each of the support members consists of a cylinder portion and a conical or paraboloid portion forming the apex, the cylinder portion being connected directly to the base member, the conical or paraboloid portion being connected to the cylinder portion, and the conical or paraboloid portion being configured to support the mounting of a golf ball at (or near) the apex of the cone. In this embodiment, the golf ball is able to be rested upon the support members, specifically the golf ball is able to be supported via the combined physical contact between the ball and an apex 2D 2E 2F of each of support members 2A 2B 2C. The upper most point of each of the apexes 2D 2E 2F define a plane. In some embodiments, the plane defined by the apexes 2D 2E 2F is a horizontal plane. A golf ball will contact and be supported on each of the apexes 2D 2E 2F.

[0030] Referring again to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the base member 1 may define a through hole 3. The through hole 3 may be located anywhere on the base member and is shown on a front portion of the isosceles triangle shaped base member 1.

[0031] Embodiments of the invention reduce the contact area between the golf ball and the golf tee, when compared to the contact area seen in the prior art between the golf ball and prior art golf tees. The classic golf tee form (a cup atop a vertical base) is common among golf tees seen in the prior art; in the case of many of these tees, the golf ball (when at rest atop the tee) comes into contact with most (if not all) of the surface area of the cup portion of the golf tee. As used herein, the contact area relates to the surface area of the golf ball which is in physical contact with any portion of the golf tee when the golf ball is mounted atop the golf tee for hitting. Additionally, as used herein, physical contact refers to actual physical contact, but also refers to non-contact wherein the distance between the golf ball and golf tee (when accounting for electrostatic interactions) is negligible in creating friction between the golf ball and golf tee. The classic golf tee form (a cup atop a vertical base) of prior art golf tees has an increased contact area when compared to the contact area of the present invention. Similarly, the brush style golf tees of the prior art also have an increased contact area when compared to the present invention, as the numerous bristles of the brush essentially create one large surface upon which the golf ball rests when mounted. A larger, or increased, contact area directly translates to increased frictional forces between the golf ball and the golf tee. These frictional forces must be overcome when the ball is hit from the tee, making the present invention ideal for reducing friction and skewing which plagues golfers as a result of the cup shape and increased contact area of prior art golf tees.

[0032] In an embodiment of the invention, the reusable golf tee is configured to rest upon a surface without penetration of the surface. By avoiding the required penetration requirement present in prior art golf tees, the present invention can be simply placed on the ground, or other playing surface, which reduces the amount of time that players must spend bending or kneeling over. The reusable golf tee having a substantially flat base member allows for secure placement of the reusable golf tee on the playing surface, balancing the reusable golf tee, without needed to penetrate the playing surface. Additional prior art golf tees may require a slightly different form of penetration, where those prior art golf tees must penetration a golf/practice mat, which is able to anchor the golf tee before ball placement and hitting. Similarly to the present invention's avoidance of the ground penetration requirement of the prior art golf tees, embodiments of the present invention do not require penetration of the golf/practice mat for anchoring the golf tee, as the substantially flat base member of the reusable golf tee may be securely placed directly on the top layer of the golf/practice mat.

[0033] Alternatively, the golf tee 10 may be secured to the playing surface by use of a stake 20. In other embodiments, the stake or other playing surface penetrating member may be permanently connected to the bottom surface of the base member 1.

[0034] An embodiment of the present invention is a method for using a reusable golf tee comprising, acquiring a reusable golf-tee configured to rest upon a surface, placing the reusable golf tee on a surface by placing the base member on the surface, placing a golf ball on the support members, and hitting the golf ball from the reusable golf tee. In this embodiment, the method comprises acquiring a reusable golf-tee configured to rest upon a surface; the reusable golf tee comprises a base member and three support members: the base member being substantially flat and being configured to rest upon the surface, the support members being connected to the base member and being configured to support the mounting of a golf ball for hitting.

[0035] Embodiments of the invention address the issues of reliability, penetration, and friction, and improve the accessibility of a good round of golf for all players. Therefore, while embodiments of the invention and the associated method are described with reference to exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that variations and modifications can be affected within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Accordingly, the scope of the various embodiments of the present invention should not be limited to the above discussed embodiments and should only be defined by the following claims and all equivalents.